Fire-escape.



M. P. GORE.

- FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION 311.311 JUNE 16, 1911.

1,002,146. Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

I 2 SHEEN-SHEET 1.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPN c0., WASHINGTON, 0.1:

M- F. GORE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 16, 1911.

1 ,OO2,14;6, Patented Aug. 29, 1911.

BBHEETS-SHBET 2.

MILLARD F. GORE, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. June 18, 1911.

Patented Aug. 29, 1911. Serial No. 633,535.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MILLARD F. GORE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to an improvement in fire escapes of the kindthat are attached as fixtures to a building.

An object of the invention is to provide for buildings a ladderconcealed in the floor between the boards of the said floor of one storyand the plastered ceiling immediately below said boardsbeing the ceilingof the story next below, and to also provide means likewise concealedfor supporting the ladder while concealed, and for releasing the saidsupport and forcing one end of the ladder 0 move down and thereby breakthe plaster of the lower ceiling, thus in case of fire enabling a personon an upper floor to escape through the floor to a room below.-

Another object is to provide concealed means by which, when a fireoccurs, a person in a lower room may release the ladder-supporting meansconcealed in the ceiling and pull downward one end of the ladder thusbreaking the ceiling plaster and placing the ladder in position for useto enable the person to ascend through the ceiling and escape by way ofan upper room, or by way of the roof.

It will be understood that the ladder and the means for operating it arenot only concealed as described but that the ceiling of the room will beplastered and coated with paint or paper and that the ladder itself willsupport some. of the plaster, thus the concealed fire-escape willproduce no unsightly effect in the room.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which-Figure 1 is an elevation showing in vertical section two upper storiesof a building provided with my improvement in fire escapes. Fig. 2 is avertical section of a floor showing the hinged ladder, the hooksupporting the free end of the ladder, and the device by which the hookis released and the ladder pulled down by a person below. Fig. 8 is aplan view of two joists of a floor and the hinged ladder between them,and the device for releasing the ladder and forcing it downward. Fig. 4is a vertical cross-section on the line -t of Fig. 3, showing that theconcealed ladder supports some of the plaster of the ceiling. Fig. 5,shows the laddersupporting hook and one of the hook-release devices allin their location of concealment, and the hook swung back to itsposition of disengagement from therung of the ladder. Fig. 6 is aperspective view of the laddersupporting hook. Fig. 7 is a perspectiveview of a combined hook-releaser and ladder down-puller.

The building may be of any construction.

The letter, A, designates one of the walls of the building; the topmostfloor is desig nated, b, the next floor is designated, 0.

The letter, cl, designates the roof; 6, a trap-door opening through theroof and, f, the first ceiling under the roof and over a room, G, on thetop floor. The boards of the upper floor have a trap-door, Z9 which liesloose on the joist, h, and may be raised easily by anyone. Immediatelybelow the boards of the upper floor, 6, is the plastered ceiling, 2',sustained as usual on laths, 7', (see Figs. 2 and 4t) nailed on thelower edges of the joist, 72,. The ladder, K, is extended between twojoists, h, and has one end pivoted by the ends of its upper rung, Z,entering the said two joists-see Fig. 3; the other end of the ladder isfree and in case of fire may be moved down to the position shown inbroken lines in the room, G on the lower floor, see Fig. 1.

By reference to Fig. 4 it will be seen the ends of the ceiling laths, j,nailed to the two two side bars of the ladder, K, terminate flush withthe outermost side of said bars, and that the ends of the other laths,7' that are nailed to the joist, h, terminate flush with that side ofthe joist that is next to the ladder bar; by this construction the twonarrow crevices, m, between the ladder bars and the joist, h, is closedor covered only by the plaster, 2', of the ceiling; it is thereforepracticable to break the plaster along the lines of said two creviceswhen it is desired, as in case of fire, to force the ladder from itsconcealed position down to the position for use.

As this invention provides for a person or persons to escape eitherthrough the floor to a room below, or through the ceiling to a room orthe roof above, I have arranged so that every floor shall have a ladderconcealed below the floor, and another ladder ooncealed above theceiling; and special means whereby a person on a given floor may put thelower ladder in position, and escape by going downward, and partiallydifferent means whereby the same person, if desired, may put the upperladder in position and escape by going upward. I

When the ladder is in the horizontal po sition its free ends issupported by a vertically-pivoted hook, n, engaging one of the ladderrungs, Z, as shown in Fig. 2. One means to release the hook is concealedlike the ladder. Said means comprises not only a hook-releaser but alsoa lever whereby a person in an upper room may force the ladder downwardinto a room below. This lever, 0, is pivoted on a cross-rod, 9, whoseends are in the two joists; and the short arm of the lever carries aT-head, p, which latter bears on the two side bars of the ladder, K; thelong arm of this lever is directly under the trap door, 6 in the floor.A wire or cord, 0, has one end connected with the pivoted hook, a, andextends under the T-head, p, and its other end, T is attached to thelever arm, 0. By this construction when the long arm, 0, of the lever israised two effects or results will be produced, namely, the first is tocause a pull on the wire or cord, 0", which releases the hook, at, fromthe ladder-rung as seen in Fig. 5, and the second effect is to cause theT-head, p, to press down on the ladder and thereby force the ladder tobreak the ceiling plaster, c', along the two crevices, m, and thus lowerthe free end of the ladder and cause it to take the position for use,shown by broken lines in the lower part of Fig. 1. Should a fire occurthis first described means would be used by a person in an upper roomdesiring to escape through the fioor to a room below. Provision is alsomade of a second means to be used by a person in case of fire, desiringto escape by ascending through the ceiling of a room to an upper room,or to the roof. This means comprises a special hook-release and also adevice to enable the ladder to be ulled down. In this second means theshank of the vertically-pivoted hook is pro vided above the hook, n,with a rigid lateral arm, s, which projects in substantially the samedirection as the hook itself, see Figs. 2, 5, 6 and 7. The hook-releasercomprises a vertical shank, t, having at its lower end any suitablemeans, such as an eye or a hook, 23 to enable the said shank to bepulled downward; the upper part of said shank, t, has two hooks, u, 'v,of dift'erent altitudes; the first of these hooks, u, being the lowerone engages the lateral arm, 8, on the ladder-supporting hook, at, asshown. The second hook, 'v, is the higher one and has a longdown-pointed beak, and engages, or takes loosely over, one of the ladderrungs, Z.

The two hooks, u, 0), have position above the ceiling plaster, 2', andthe shank, 25, extends downward through said plaster; the

eye or hook, 25 is the only part of the entire device that is exposed toView below the said plaster.

The operation of this second means is similar to that of the first, andis as followsby using a rod or pole having an eye or a hook on its end,a person in a room may engage the exposed hook, 25 and pull down ward;the first efl'ect produced will be to cause the lower hook, to, to pressdown on the arm, 8, which in turn will release the hook, n, or swing itfrom under the ladderrung, Z, as shown in Fig. 5; a continuation of thepull downward brings the higher hook, o, down until it engages the sameladder-rung, and then by a further pull sufficient strain may be broughton the free end of the ladder to break the ceiling-plaster, 2', alongthe two crevices, m, and thus the lad der over-head will be lowered andwill take the position for use shown by broken lines in Fig. 1 and aperson could then ascend the ladder, raise the trap-door, b and escape.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is,

1. In a fire escape for buildings, the combination of a floor havingjoists; a ladder pivoted by one end and concealed in the floor betweentwo joists; a pivoted hook supporting the free end of the ladder whilein a horizontal position; a lever pivoted above the ladder and the shortarm of said lever bearing on the ladder; and a flexible connectionbetween the supporting hook and lever whereby the action of raising thelever will release said hook and also force the ladder downward.

2. In a fire escape for buildings, the combination with a floor of thebuilding having joists and boards on top of thejoists, of aladderpivoted by one end between two joists and forming two crevices betweenthe ladder bar and joists; a pivoted hook supporting the free end of theladder while it is in a horizontal position; ceiling laths nailed onlyto the two side-bars of the ladder and said laths terminating flush withthe outermost side of said bars; a plastered ceiling below the samejoists and said two crevices closed only by said plaster; a lever abovethe ladder and pivoted to the joists and the short arm of said leverbearing on the lad der; and a flexible connection from said pivotedsupporting-hook and extending under the short arm of the lever andattached to the lever, whereby upon raising the'long arm of the leverthe supporting hook will be released from its engagement with the abllngwhich ladder the Ho whose ladder and said joists; a pivoted hook supendof the ladder while in ion; a lever pivoted above llG'SllOI't arm ofsaid lever lever ena person standing on the floor in the ladder isconcealed to force the down; and means also concealed in or and operatedby a vertical shank upper part connects with porting hook and whoselower Copies of this patent may be obtained f said supend is exposedbelow the floor and by pulling which a person standing in a room belowsaid floor in which the ladder is concealed may release said hook andpull the ladder down.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILLARD F. GORE.

Witnesses:

- CHARLES B. MANN, Jr.,

G. FERD. Voer.

or five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

